THE QUILTERS APPRENTICE by Jennifer Chiaverini

 As a child I became addicted to novels set within a particular time period, looking back the common theme was: women who overcame obstacles. At some point in my life I transitioned to reading only non-fiction. I am back to appreciating and reading both. Never did I ever consider listening to a book.  Two books convinced me that audio books were not that bad: Ministry of God’s Word by Watchman Nee, I started reading it in 2003 and finaly completed it by listening to the entire book in 2025;and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, I purchased this book around 2020 and put it on my reading list May of 2024 and finally listened to the audio book in 2025. Then I discovered FREE audio books on YouTube. It was with a book on YouTube that I discovered “Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinor Pruitt Stewart that I recalled my love for Historical Fiction and I ventured into the writings of  Jennifer Chiaverini.

I chose to listen to The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini because I am a quilter and it was a historical fiction. I love the book because of the plot, the infusion of quilting and it does not end with “and they lived happily ever after”, yes I am being “snarky”. 

I am writing this review after having listened to six of the Elm street series books , because the story lines are cumulative and the characters have become my friends I cannot give much of an overview for fear of giving away to much. 

You must read this book first because it is, in essence, Act 1 of a story that may or may not end, I do believe there is a book that will be released in 2026; this book was published in 1999. You can read each book out of order but everything will make more since if you read them in publishing order.

1.  The Quilter's Apprentice (1999)
2.  Round Robin (2000)
3.  The Cross-Country Quilters (2001)
4. The Runaway Quilt (2002)
5. The Quilter's Legacy
6. The Master Quilter (2004)
7. The Sugar Camp Quilt (2005)
8. The Christmas Quilt (2005)
9. Circle of Quilters (2006)
10. The Quilter's Homecoming (2007)
11. The New Year's Quilt (2007)
12. The Winding Ways Quilt (2008)
13.  The Quilter's Kitchen (2008)
14. The Lost Quilter (2009)
15. A Quilter's Holiday (2009)
16.  The Aloha Quilt (2010)
17. The Union Quilters (2011)
18. The Wedding Quilt (2011)
19. Sonoma Rose (2011)
20. The Giving Quilt (2012)
21. The Christmas Boutique (2019)
22. The Museum of Lost Quilts (2024)
23. The World's Fair Quilt (2025)

Since I am reading book #6, I can really appreciate reading them in order. It is important that the reader develops a relationship with the various characters, and there are many. I have learned by book four that, they don’t go away.

The story in this book introduces the reader to a couple who is having difficulty, the husband, Matt, is working, the wife, Sarah, gave up something to accommodate him. Sylvia, the Matriarch of sorts, presents herself and we, the readers, are introduced to Elm Street and quilting. The first book becomes the readers first quilt.

As the readers becomes involved in Matt and Sarah’s marriage, we become interested in Sylvia, like Dorothy when she lands in Oz and encounters Glinda,we must know: “Are you a good witch or a bad which?”.   

The reader gets an ending, but like a good dessert, you want more. I wanted more. Unfortunately for me I was a newbie to audiobooks and I had already purchased a book after getting THE QUILTERS APPRENTICE free. S, after mentioning the book to a group I belonged to on Facebook and learning that there was not only a sequel but a series I joined another audio book program and ordered ROUND ROBIN! 

       Written by Marsha L Floyd

 

    

 

Matt , Sarah sylvia family secrets 1st quilt

WITH CHRIST IN THE SCHOOL OF PRAYER by Andrew Murray

 

WITH CHRIST IN THE SCHOOL OF PRAYER by Andrew Murray (1828-1917) a book written by an author that I was once told to avoid! I don’t know why that person said I should not read anything by Ancrew Murray but I will no longer listen to other peoples opinions about anything!  I love this book. I started listening to the audio (see link below) and then I purchased the print book. Unfortunately, the used copy I purchased was small print so I ordered it on my kindle!

If you are a person who loves to pray, a prayer warrior, an intercessor or just have a lot of people you want to pray for, get this book. I have numerous books on prayer by various authors but this is the ultimate book on prayer. WITH CHRIST IN THE SCHOOL OF PRAYER is a step by step, precept upon precept, line upon line manual on praying. I promise you when  you have finished reading this book you will develop a greater confidence in praying.

The book is 238 pages, 31 chapters and a Preface by Andrew Murray. I started listening to the audio book and by the fourth chapter I realized I was listening wrong, which is why I ordered the book. It is a school, a home school, subject matter prayer. It is an excellent Bible study for a small group.  "Lord teach me to pray". the words of every disciple is the theme that flows through the book as Murray walks the reader through how Jesus taught His disciples how to pray. 

Luke 11:1 (KJV)
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 

I know how to pray, I was on an intercessory prayer team, I pray for people, I pray for people that ask me and people who don’t ask; but I lacked the confidence because of what “they” say.  I even wrote a book on prayer: BEFORE YOU PRAY FOR ME. (It was an eBook available on the SMASHWORDS website, I am preparing to rerelease it in 2026, if not sooner.) 

The first lesson, Chapter 1, entitled ”THE ONLY TEACHER” begins with Luke 11:1, when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray and He does. I don’t care who taught you to pray, you cannot pray successfully consistently unless the Teacher teaches you. Lesson one: What is prayer? The first three chapters are foundational to get the disciple, the student, the reader, to the point in which he or she can fully understand what Jesus was saying when He spoke: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” (Matthew 6:9 KJV) 

If you want to improve your personal prayer life, this book is worth the investment. I listened to the audiobook all the way to the end. There was a bonus mini biography about George Muller a man of faith 1805-1898, I will be reviewing his audiobook)  I could not follow along in the reading and the audio, it happens sometimes with classic books, either way, it is worth the investment.  

WRITTEN BY: Marsha L Floyd

         

 AUDIOBOOK FROM YOUTUBE

 

I knew I wanted to, called to, write since about 1996, my first book “The Truth About Vashtai” was published 10 years ago the same the time I started blogging. I briefly, a few years, had a YouTube channel but  I knew that it was not my “thing”. I am a wordy person but I hate editing it was challenging to edit a video from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, the attention span of most viewers; editing a written article from 500 plus words to 250 is much easier. I have struggled with sharing the words of my heart for the past 10 years to the extent of doing neither, writing or videos, like Jeremiah I just could not be quiet. 

Jeremiah 20:9 (KJV)
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with  forbearing, and I could not stay. 

I made the decision to live by faith first. I am a person who follows Jesus  as it is revealed in Scripture.. I cannot and will not separate my faith from how I live be it: political, crafting, family, daily living, or Bible understanding; nor will I validate lifestyles that are against Good’s will. Thus I move forward in my writing understanding that I will not get a record number of subscribers.  

Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

In a blogpost dated November 9, 2024 “MY PARADIGMS SHIFT” I cam out of my worldly limitations and embraced my godly destination.  I have a lot of interest: sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, making soap, making candles and even baking. I have a lot of opinions regarding politics, church life and being a woman.

I have tried to limit the conversations; to separate the conversations, by posting certain topics on specific days and using different blog addresses, none of these plans worked with me.I want to blog about making stuff.

This post, typed on July 5, 2025 and intended to be post on all 3 blog sites marks my pivot into what I believe is the next phase of my writing journey. Despite a part of me wanting to create a YouTube channel I will resist the urge focusing on my writing.  In 1996 God called me to write, in 2024 I realized I have always wanted to be a homemaker.

Habakkuk 2:2-4 (KJV)
2  And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.
3  For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
4  Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. 

Written by Marsha L Floyd

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW A SECRET STORY OF QUILTS and the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

 

HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW A SECRET STORY OF QUILTS and the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is the title of this book written by Jacqueline L. Tobin and Raymond G. Dobard, Ph.D.,  the title of my review is: The importance of sewing in the history of Black Americans, also known as African-Americans.

I hesitated reading this book because I wanted to read about quilting done by Black people. The narrative, as it was presented by the authors, wove the history of quilting beginning with how Africans  created with textiles before coming to America, how slaves communicated despite not reading or writing and the relationship between quilts and the underground railroad. There are lots of images of quilts in the book but I found myself more interested in the hows and whys of quilts being used in history than I was with the images, I will have to go back in the book and look at the ones I skipped over. 

This book presents Black history in a way that I am very much interested in, sometimes I find modern history books angry and hopeless. I know my ancestors came from some country in Africa and they were enslaved unjustly in America. I know that my freed ancestors endured the hardships of working on a sharecropper farm and I also know that they eventually became educated, productive members of society, many of whom are landowners. I don’t want dates and names, I want the stories behind the names with the dates and we get this through Mrs Ozella McDaniel Williams, what the author identifies as a Griot an oral historian but. Mrs Ozella is the catalyzt for the author Jacqueline L Tobin beginning her quest into the story behind the quilts and why she reached out to Dr. Raymond G. Dobard. 

This book is not a “How to” make quilts  but a “why this pattern” story. That is what I wanted to know and that is what I learned; the quilting blocks of the underground railroad and their history. 

HIDDEN IN PLAIN VIEW A SECRET STORY OF QUILTS and the UNDERGROUND RAILROAD is 179 pages not including: the Historical Time; Ozella”s Underground Railroad Quilt Code Patterns; and Chart Comparing African symbols with American Quilt Patterns, like the “double wedding ring, and Masonic Emblems. This book is an excellent resource for those interested in the history of the art of quilting. Of course I recommend it, to everyone.

Written by Marsha L Floyd

I purchased this book and have not been compensated for it.